Dinner Boats (Meatless Monday)

Dinner tonight with farmers market finds:  Acorn squash, colorful carrots, pea shoots from the market with farro, honey, crushed pecans, tomatoes, cheese and peppers.  

Continuing my tips for converting a recipe (see last night's post "How to Cook from Scratch Without Gaining Weight"):

1)  Control the amount of oil used to roast the vegetables.  The carrot recipe called for oil, as did the squash recipe.  I used 1 teaspoon to saute the peppers for the carrots, 1 teaspoon in the marinade for the carrots and 1 teaspoon to brush the squash prior to roasting.  For cost purposes as well (olive oil is expensive), I always measure the oil to roast.

The recipe for the boat was inspired by Vegetarian Living and A Cozy Kitchen.  The carrot recipe was inspired by Food and Nutrition Magazine.

Acorn Squash Boats with Farro, Honey & Pecans

(Serves 2)

Cut acorn squash in half and remove the seeds.  Brush with oil.  Roast at 425F face down for 30 minutes.
1 teaspoon canola oil

Cook farro in water for 30 minutes.
1/4 cup farro
1 cup water

Mix in:
2 tablespoons toasted crushed pecans
1 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/3 cup fresh Mozzarella Cheese, grated
2 tablespoons parsley
1/3 cup fresh tomatoes, diced

Portion into squash boats.  Garnish with pea shoots.
1/3 cup pea shoots

Roasted Carrots

(Serves 2)

Saute peppers and garlic in oil.
2 mini sweet peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced

Peel and slice colorful carrots uniformly.  Toss with seasonings in a ziploc bag.
3/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon corriander
Fresh ground pepper
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil 
Pepper-garlic mixture

Roast at 425F for 20 minutes.  

This meal has colorful vegetables, whole grains, essential oils, dairy and nuts.